We end this week by
looking at our number
five pick,
Kyurem (BW:
Plasma Freeze
31/116), or
Kyurem [Plasma] if
you want to be specific
as I often do.
We first reviewed
it
here where we ranked
it as the second most
promising card of BW:
Plasma Freeze.
Like many cards
on this list, it debuted
not only under the
previous rules, but
under the previous
format and two sets ago.
As such in its
relatively short life,
it has already seen some
significant changes.
The good news for it is
that it is still a big,
Basic Pokémon clocking
in at the current
printed maximum 130 HP
(at least for something
that isn’t a
Pokémon-EX).
It can tap all
that wonderful Team
Plasma Support, and
while
Silver Mirror can be
a pain and people are
still trying to make a
go of
Haxorus (BW:
Plasma Blast
69/101), it is still
definitely a net
advantage.
Being a
Water-Type still allows
you to hit a few key
Pokémon for Weakness,
though the exact
composition will vary
depending on the
metagame and as far as I
can tell, it’s not a
major focal point for
the card.
The Metal Weakness is
probably safer now; I
know that Metal-Type
Pokémon haven’t
vanished, but the loss
of
Klinklang (Black&
White 76/114) means
Shift Gear decks are no
more.
Lack of
Resistance is still a
bummer but not a problem
and the chunky Retreat
Cost of three can be an
issue but most decks are
going to have
alternatives to manually
retreating at full price
so it isn’t a major
concern, and in a few
decks you might even
take advantage of
Kyurem [Plasma]
being a legal
Heavy Ball target.
Frost Spear really takes
a hit due how things
have changed since this
card’s first appeared.
No more attacking
first turn makes the
(WC) cost just a little
less significant; thanks
to
Colress Machine and
Plasma Energy, this
Pokémon (a long with
several other Team
Plasma affiliates) could
attack first turn fairly
often.
Secondly, the
erratum of
Pokémon Catcher
result in
Mr. Mime (BW:
Plasma Freeze
47/116) becoming a
fairly common piece of
TecH; it has a lot
better odds of staying
safe on the Bench and
Bench hits were an
important part of
multiple decks even
before the
aforementioned change to
Pokémon Catcher made
hitting the Bench
technically more
valuable.
Blizzard Burn has now
become more valuable,
again due to more recent
cards and the change in
rules.
While you can no
longer perform strategic
OHKOs as easily (again,
Pokémon Catcher
erratum),
Silver Bangle makes
it even easier to jack
up damage.
That isn’t to say
you ignore the
“traditional” (a strange
way to describe
something less than a
year old) set-up Plasma
Haymaker decks tend to
favor; 2HKOs (even those
enabled by alternating
Pokémon) are just fine
but its even better now
that a Pokémon Tool can
piggy back on three
Benched
Deoxys EX or the
Hypnotoxic Laser/Virbank
City Gym combo to
achieve OHKO range
against Pokémon-EX.
Kyurem [Plasma] is
an excellent
representative of what
Team Plasma decks have
to offer.
Just remember
that if it survives
attacking, you’ll need
to fall back on Frost
Spear or have a means to
reset the effect of
Blizzard Burn.
For Unlimited, and this
is pure Theorymon
because the situation
hasn’t changed (no play
testing, no articles by
others to reference,
etc.), I would guess
that
Kyurem [Plasma] is
“okay”.
The changes we
got in November to the
first turn rules didn’t
neuter the infamous “Sabledonk”
deck, which uses
Sableye (DP:
Stormfront 48/100)
to go first
automatically (or at
least if it isn’t facing
another such
Sableye), then a
combination of other
cards to bounce your
Bench (if you even had
one) and place damage
counters until your
remaining Pokémon is
KOed.
Losing the
capacity to attack first
turn just forces it to
repeat the combo an
extra four times, which
does increase the odds
of a needed card being
Prized, a draw failing
to yield the needed
cards to continue the
“combo”, or a misplay by
the player using
Sabledonk.
Kyurem [Plasma] has
enough HP that it ups
the odds of one of those
last three things
happening, at least a
little and the Team
Plasma “support” might
throw a wrench into the
plans of other classical
decks that I expect
would see play;
Abilities don’t count as
Pokémon Powers/Poké-Powers/Poké-Bodies
and similar “this
mechanic didn’t exist
back then” loopholes are
tantalizing.
As for Limited play, if
you’re fortunate enough
to still enjoy it with
BW: Plasma Freeze
boosters, this is a
great pull.
It isn’t quite
“just run it in a deck
with 39 non-Pokémon for
an all but guaranteed
win” level, but it comes
close so if you are
daring you could risk
it.
Otherwise make
room for this and some
Water Energy in your
deck unless you do
indeed pull a Pokémon-EX
worth building a +39
deck around.
Ratings
Unlimited:
3/5
Modified:
3.8/5
Limited:
4.95/5
Summary
Odds are I have done it
again and apparently
underscored an obviously
great card.
Did I do it to be
controversial?
Perhaps, but most
readers should know that
Kyurem [Plasma] is
one of the great
examples of how powerful
Team Plasma Pokémon are,
so if it was only for
that reason I would look
pretty stupid.
This is a great
poster-mon for Team
Plasma Pokémon because
it’s a very good card on
its own, but only
becomes great with
significant support,
like
Genesect EX and
Black Kyurem EX
before it (not that the
latter is Team Plasma).
Without significant
support, it’s a solid
but unspectacular
beatstick with sniping
capabilities that
currently are likely to
be countered.
With support it’s
amazing… but a lot of
cards are amazing with
support.
That’s why my Top
20 (I like to be
thorough in case of tie
breakers) list had a lot
of Team Plasma Pokémon,
but all in the second
half: their strength
comes from each other.
Kyurem [Plasma] did
make it into my Top 10,
but in the number nine
position.
I also “low
balled” it for the
initial Top 10 Promising
Picks of Plasma Freeze,
where I ranked it as the
fourth best card and
time has proven that was
a mistake.
